Land Rover Discovery 4 Transmission Issues-Delay in Drive

Continuing in the tradition of the 3rd generation, the 4th generation Discovery solidified Land Rover’s claims to the off-road, mid-size luxury SUV market category. The only major changes to the aesthetic components of the automobile were to the front grille and bumper, both reshaped to make the car rounder and gentler looking. There are owners who say that the car experiences problems with transmission issues, specifically a delay in drive.

This issue remains a perpetually alarming—and unusual—one among Discovery 4 owners. It starts out relatively innocuously: the car will take a few seconds after first starting to engage in “drive.” Usually after reversing out of a driveway after starting cold, the car will then engage and everything will be as normal. Over time, however, the time before the transmission catches increases dramatically. The car will rev up as though in neutral, and occasionally it can take up to a full minute before jolting into gear and moving forward.

For obvious reasons, this is an incredibly dangerous issue that can potentially result in a severe accident. Because of the tremendous stability of the Land Rover transmission system (one that it shares with Jaguar), the problem is very likely one of an electrical nature, potentially even lying with a needed software update. Slightly more severe, you might be dealing with a sticking shift linkage that is preventing the car from immediately transferring where and when it needs to. If neither of these prove to be the case, than there is a great chance that you are dealing with a totally fried transmission system—the worst possible scenario.

In order to solve the issue as soon as possible, it is highly recommended that you bring your LR4 to an independent import repair garage for a complete going over and servicing. Waiting to solve the issue any longer will only increase the chances of an accident.